Principal photography is now underway on Daisy Chain, a contemporary Auckland-set romantic comedy written by Emmy Award-winning writer Shoshana McCallum (Madam, Inside) and produced by The HeartBeaters in association with Vendetta Productions. The five-week shoot commenced on 7 June 2026, with filming taking place across iconic locations throughout Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand.
Daisy Chain follows Daisy, a 30-something artist and commitment avoider whose carefully constructed emotional walls begin to crumble when a stranger blows into her life at a friend’s wedding – just as everything else starts falling apart. Sharp, funny and emotionally raw, the film is a study of modern love at its messiest, and the cost of finally allowing yourself to be seen.
The cast is led by Roxie Mohebbi (Run, Critical Incident) as Daisy, with Alexander Hodge (Insecure, Grosse Pointe Garden Society), Shoshana McCallum (Madam, Mean Mums), Vinnie Bennett (F9: The Fast Saga, Heart Eyes) and Jordan Mooney (Mārama, The Bluff), supported by a broader ensemble of New Zealand talent.
Behind the lens, Aidee Walker (Kid Sister, White Fever) directs in her feature debut, working alongside cinematographer Daniela Conforte Vasconcellos (Kid Sister, Don’t) and editor Kerri Roggio (One Lane Bridge, The Brokenwood Mysteries).
” Daisy Chain is bold, funny and vulnerable. It’s about imperfect people pushing against a societal current. While things have thankfully moved on from our grandparents’ generation – and even our parents’ generation – the default expectation remains: get married, buy a house and have children. This film explores what happens when life doesn’t follow that script,” says Walker.
Producers Aumua Crystal Vaega (Madam, The Panthers) and Jill Macnab (Mārama, Born To Dance) have assembled a predominantly female creative team to bring the film to life.
Shot using a deliberate dual-format visual approach – anamorphic 2.39:1 and spherical 1.5:1 – DAISY CHAIN shifts between the expansive cinematic interiority of its lead character and the closer, more chaotic geometry of her everyday life.
“I am incredibly proud to see Daisy Chain come to life. At its heart, this is a story about a woman refusing to shrink herself to fit expectations. In industries and environments where women are often encouraged to manage or suppress their emotions, Daisy Chain embraces them all — the joy, the rage, the grief, the hope and the absurdity,” says Producer Aumua Crystal Vaega.
Vendetta Productions’ Jill Macnab adds: “We believe women everywhere will recognise a part of themselves in Daisy. We want audiences to laugh – and they may well cry too – but most importantly, we want them to feel something. To leave the cinema a little more connected to themselves and to each other.”
Daisy Chain has been developed and financed with the support of the New Zealand Film Commission. The film will be distributed throughout Australia and New Zealand by Vendetta Films, with international rights currently available.
Mohebbi is represented by Independent Management Company in Australia and NZ, 42 Management in the USA and Independent Talent Group in the UK; Hodge is represented by Innovative Artists; McCallum is represented by Stacey Testro International and Auckland Actors; Bennett is represented by Johnson & Laird Management in New Zealand and Anonymous Content in the US; Mooney is represented by Johnson & Laird Management in New Zealand and Link Entertainment in the US; Walker is represented by Frank Management.
